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Peanuts - One of the ten priority food allergens

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What are the symptoms of an allergic reaction?

When someone comes in contact with an allergen, the symptoms of a reaction may develop quickly and rapidly progress from mild to severe. The most severe form of an allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis. Symptoms can include breathing difficulties, a drop in blood pressure or shock, which may result in loss of consciousness and even death. A person experiencing an allergic reaction may have any of the following symptoms:

Flushed face, hives or a rash, red and itchy skin

Swelling of the eyes, face, lips, throat and tongue

Trouble breathing, speaking or swallowing

Anxiety, distress, faintness, paleness, sense of doom, weakness

Cramps, diarrhea, vomiting

A drop in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, loss of consciousness

How are food allergies and severe allergic reactions treated?

Currently there is no cure for food allergies. The only option for managing the risk is to completely avoid the specific allergen. Appropriate emergency treatment for anaphylaxis (a severe food allergy reaction) includes an injection of epinephrine, which is available in an auto-injector device. Epinephrine must be administered as soon as symptoms of a severe allergic reaction appear. The injection must be followed by further treatment and observation in a hospital emergency room. If your allergist has diagnosed you with a food allergy and prescribed Epinephrine, carry it with you all the time and know how to use it. Follow your allergist's advice on how to use an auto-injector device.

Frequently asked questions about peanut allergies

I have a peanut allergy. How can I avoid a peanut-related reaction?

Avoid all food and products that contain peanut or peanut derivatives which contain peanut protein. These include any product whose ingredient list warns it "may contain" or "may contain traces of" peanut.

Can a peanut allergy be outgrown?

It was once thought that all peanut allergies were lifelong. However, some studies have shown that certain children may outgrow their peanut allergy. Consult your allergist before reintroducing peanut products.

How can I determine if a product contains peanut or peanut derivatives?

Always read the ingredient list carefully.

If peanuts are part of the product formulation, they must be declared in the list of ingredients or in a separate "contains:" statement immediately following the list of ingredients.

What do I do if I am not sure whether a product contains peanut or peanut derivatives?

If you have a peanut allergy, do not eat or use the product. Get ingredient information from the manufacturer.

Does product size affect the likelihood of an allergic reaction?

Product size does not affect the likelihood of a reaction; however, the same brand of product may be safe to consume for one product size but not another. This is because product formulation may vary between different product sizes of the same product.

It was once thought that peanut allergies were lifelong. However, some studies have shown certain children may outgrow their peanut allergy.

Avoiding peanut and peanut derivatives

Make sure you read product labels carefully to avoid products that contain peanut and peanut derivatives. Avoid food and products that do not have an ingredient list and read labels every time you shop. Manufacturers may occasionally change their recipes or use different ingredients for varieties of the same brand.

Other names for peanuts

In the past, some products have used other names for peanut on their labels. These names are not permitted based on the enhanced labelling requirements for food allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites, however, if you have a peanut allergy and see one of the following in the list of ingredients on a product you should not eat it.

Arachis oil

Beer nuts

Goober nuts, goober peas

Ground nuts

Kernels

Mandelonas, Nu-Nuts™

Nut meats

Valencias

Avoid food and products that do not have an ingredient list and read labels every time you shop.

Other possible sources of peanuts

Non-food sources of peanuts

Ant baits, bird feed, mouse traps and pet food

Cosmetics and sunscreens

Craft materials

Medications and vitamins

Mushroom growing medium

Stuffing in toys

Note: These lists are not complete and may change. Food and food products purchased from other countries, through mail-order or the Internet, are not always produced using the same manufacturing and labelling standards as in Canada.

What can I do?

Be informed

See an allergist and educate yourself about food allergies. Contact your local allergy association for further information.

If you or anyone you know has food allergies or would like to receive information about food being recalled, sign up for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) free e-mail "Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts" notification service. When you sign up you will automatically receive food recall public warnings.

Before eating

Allergists recommend that if you do not have your auto-injector device with you that you do not eat. If the label indicates that a product "contains:" or "may contain:" peanut or peanut derivatives, do not eat it. If you do not recognize an ingredient or there is no ingredient list available, avoid the product.

Watch out for allergen cross contamination!

Cross contamination is the transfer of an ingredient (food allergen) to a product that does not normally have that ingredient in it. Through cross contamination, a food that should not contain the allergen could become dangerous to eat for those who are allergic.

Cross contamination can happen:

during food manufacturing through shared production and packaging equipment;

at retail through shared equipment, e.g., cheese and deli meats sliced on the same slicer; and through bulk display of food products, e.g., bins of baked goods, bulk nuts; and

during food preparation at home or in restaurants through equipment, utensils and hands.

What is the Government of Canada doing about food allergens?

The Government of Canada is committed to providing safe food to all Canadians. The CFIA and Health Canada work closely with municipal, provincial and territorial partners and industry to meet this goal.

The CFIA enforces Canada's labelling laws and works with associations, distributors, food manufacturers and importers to ensure complete and appropriate labelling of all foods. The CFIA recommends that food companies establish effective allergen controls to prevent the occurrence of undeclared allergens and cross-contamination. The CFIA has developed guidelines and tools to aid them in developing these controls. When the CFIA becomes aware of a potential serious hazard associated with a food, such as undeclared allergens, the food product is recalled from the marketplace and a public warning is issued. The CFIA has also published several advisories to industry and consumers regarding allergens in food.

Health Canada has worked with the medical community, consumer associations, and the food industry to enhance labelling regulations for priority allergens, gluten sources and sulphites in pre-packaged food sold in Canada. Health Canada has amended the Food and Drug Regulations to require that the most common food and food ingredients that cause life-threatening or severe allergic reactions are always identified by their common names on food labels, allowing consumers to easily recognize them.

More information on the regulations to enhance the "labelling of food allergens", gluten sources and added sulphites can be found on the Health Canada website.

If you come across a food that you think is improperly labelled, contact the CFIA and provide information about the product.